阅读理解。
They like using the Internet. They have lots of pocket money to spend. And they spend a higher proportion
of it online than the rest of us. Teenagers are just the sort of people an online seller is interested in, and the
things they want to buy-games, CDs and clothing-are easily sold on the Web.
But paying online is a tricky business for consumers who are too young to own credit cards. Most have to
use a parent's card. They want a facility that allows them to spend money.
That may come sooner than they think: new ways to take pocket money into cyber (网络的) space are
coming out rapidly on both sides of the Atlantic. If successful, these products could stimulate online sales.
In general, teenagers spend huge amounts: $153bn (billion) in the US last year and￡20bn annually in the
UK. Most teenagers have access to the Internet at home or at school-88 percent in the US,69 percent in the UK.
According to Jupiter Research, one in eight of those with Internet access has bought something online- mainly
CDs and books.
In most cases, parents pay for these purchases with credit cards, an arrangement that is often unsatisfactory
for them and their children. Pressing parents to spend online is less productive than pressing on the high street.
They're more likely to ask "Why?" if you ask to spend some money online.
One way to help teenagers change notes and coins into cybercash is through prepaid cards such as Internet
Cash in the US and Smart Cards in the UK. Similar to those for pay-as-you-go mobile telephones, they are sold
in amounts such as￡20 or $50 with a concealed 14-digit number that can be used to load the cash into an
online account.
1. What does the word "They" in paragraph 1 refer to?
A. Sellers.
B. Buyers.
C. Teenagers.
D. Parents.
2. According to the passage, which of the following statements is TRUE?
A. More than half of the teenagers in the US and the UK have Internet access.
B. Teenagers pay for goods online with their own credit cards.
C. Most teenagers in the US and the UK have bought something online.
D. Teenagers found it easier to persuade parents to buy online than in a shop.
3. A new way to help teenagers shop online is to use ____.
A. a new machine
B. special notes and coins
C. prepaid cards
D. pay-as-you-go mobile phones
4. What is the passage mainly about?
A. Online shopping traps.
B. Internet users in the US and the UK.
C. New credit cards for parents.
D. The arrival of cyber pocket money.
